Ross Hanna, grandson of John Muir, dies

Ross Erwin Hanna, grandson of renowned naturalist John Muir, died Tuesday in Dixon, surrounded by his family and friends.

Hanna was born Oct. 20, 1922 in San Francisco, the youngest of six children born to Muir's older daughter Wanda Muir and Thomas Hanna. He grew up on the family ranch in Martinez.

Hanna was a graduate of Alhambra High School in Martinez, and played the trumpet in the award-winning school band. Among his favorite memories was the Pacific Grove summer band camp, and trumpet practice sessions at the Martinez Adobe, located on what is now the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez.

During World War II, Hanna served in the United States Navy in the Pacific, and later earned a business degree from the University of the Pacific. Hanna married Gladys Stoeven in 1949, and they moved to Dixon to join the Stoeven family in the meat business, where Hanna worked for 31 years, until his retirement.

Throughout his life, Hanna kept in touch with family and helped sustain the legacy of his grandfather by joining the John Muir Association board of directors during the 1990s.